Just Another Day in Paradise
by Zana Zira
Summary: Set 8 months after "25 Days of a SPN Christmas": It's been a long hot summer, so after a little persuasion from Castiel, Dean decides to go with him on a much-needed summer vacation to Honolulu. Aloha, Hawaii! Established Destiel and Sabriel; fluff, but nothing explicit. There will be 8 chapters total, one for each day of the 7-day trip plus a bonus Sabriel chapter in the middle.
1. Day 1 - Airplane

**Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of Eric Kripke. Sadly, I do not own any of these guys.**

**A/N: This fic is part of the same AU as one of my others, "25 Days of a Supernatural Christmas." If you haven't read it yet, here's what you need to know:**

**Season 9 never happened. After Season 8, although Cas had lost his grace, the angels never fell. Sam also healed on his own after the failed Third Trial, instead of needing Gadreel to possess him. So, Kevin's also still alive. Dean and Castiel are together, as are Sam and Gabriel, and Castiel sometimes calls Dean "_In Monons_," a nickname that, according to a few Enochian dictionaries I've looked up, is pronounced "EH-en MOH-noh-nuhs" and means "My heart."**

**So, all that said, enjoy!**

* * *

_"Flight thirty-six B to Honolulu, you are now clear to begin boarding. Flight thirty-six B to Honolulu, I repeat, you are now clear to begin boarding."_

"Dean, I believe that's our flight," Cas said quietly, trying to keep most of the excitement he felt out of his voice so as not to upset the hunter beside him, who clearly wasn't as enthused. The two of them had left the bunker at just after one o'clock in the morning, arriving at the airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma six hours later so they could catch their nine a.m. plane; and Dean, the mighty hunter who had survived everything from Wendigos to Hell to Purgatory, had been jumpy the entire time.

Castiel couldn't understand why that was, really. From what everyone including Sam and Gabriel had said, the beaches on the Hawaiian Islands were supposed to be some of the most beautiful in the world. The only reason Sam and the archangel weren't tagging along, in fact, was that they'd already made plans to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania during the same week. And Kevin had taken a trip to the beach in Florida with Josephine earlier that year, since everyone had chipped in to pay for it at Christmastime. That meant that Dean and Castiel were going to be staying alone, in a very nice beachfront cottage, for almost the entirety of seven days. Surely one ten-hour plane ride was worth it, right?

Dean sighed heavily, standing and staring warily at the gate that would lead them to their plane.

"How in the hell did I let you talk me into this, Cas?" he whispered shakily, hand clenching the handles of his duffel so hard that his knuckles were white. "You know how much I hate planes. The last three times I've flown I nearly died!" He suddenly swallowed, eyes widening and looking even more nervous at that particular revelation. "Oh God, I don't think I can do this…"

"Dean, I promise you we'll be fine," Cas said calmly, taking one of Dean's bags from him and strapping it across his own shoulders so he could clasp the hunter's hand in his. "Hundreds of thousands of people make this trip every year, and they come out completely unharmed. Besides, I've already checked, and there are no signs of demonic activity, terrorism, or any other threats to our safety here now. Everything will be alright."

"Yeah, I guess," Dean muttered, taking a deep breath to try and steady himself as Cas began guiding them through the gate and the collapsible tunnel that led to the door of the jet. "And a beach vacation in Hawaii's worth it, I know. I just…"

"Hate flying. I understand. But I'll be right here with you the entire time, _In Monons_. You have nothing to worry about."

Dean grinned at the pet name Cas had given him eight months ago, raising a suggestive eyebrow at the once-angel. "I guess if you wanna follow me into the bathroom we could join the Mile High Club later."

Castiel just chuckled and shook his head. Only Dean would still find the energy to make jokes like that while he was still practically shaking in his boots.

It took them a few minutes to get to their seats near the back, since they had to wait for many people in front of them to put their carry-ons in the overhead bins and then take their seats. When they finally reached their assigned row Castiel entered first, taking the window seat so that he could partially block Dean's view of the sky outside. He had no issue with seeing the sky, as much time as he had spent in it in his long lifetime, so it wasn't much of a sacrifice.

Dean followed shortly after, sitting stiffly down in his own seat and pushing the armrest up so he could lean against Cas a little. The ex-angel smiled at him and handed him a classic car magazine he'd bought especially for Dean on the trip, and Dean eagerly accepted it, glad for any kind of distraction he could get. The front doors closed while he was reading about 1967 Mustangs and telling Cas all about how inferior they were to the Impala, and Cas smiled when he realized no passengers had arrived to claim the third seat next to him and Dean.

Only a few minutes later, they were forced to sit through the inevitable "What to Do If the Plane's Going to Crash" presentation all flight attendants everywhere were required to give, which did nothing to ease Dean's nerves once they buckled in and started taxiing across the runway.

"See Cas?" he whispered shakily a few minutes later as the plane started tilting upward and lifting off of the tarmac. "They're getting us ready for a freaking plane crash. They know something we don't, I bet." His fingers were now gripping the magazine so hard that the spine was looking ready to bend in half any second.

"Dean, hush," Castiel said firmly, trying to derail that train of thought before it got any worse. He rubbed his palm up and down the hunter's back, trying to instill some of his own calm into him. It pained him to see Dean like this, to witness such a strong man reduced to a jumpy, trembling mess by something as simple as air travel, and he wished there was more he could do to make him feel better. "We. Will. Be. Fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to you the entire time. Just try to relax, and we'll be landing before you know it."

Dean nodded and took a shaky breath, putting in a pair of earbuds and laying his head against Cas's shoulder so he could try to sleep the trip away. Castiel smiled and opened up the thick Hawaiian travel guide he had brought along to read, laying it on his lap and flipping the pages with one hand so he could keep rubbing Dean's back with the other. If Dean could manage to sleep through a few hours of the trip, maybe it would go more smoothly than he had thought.

* * *

It didn't go more smoothly than he had thought.

For the first nine hours of the trip, everything went about as well as could be expected given Dean's nerves. He was restless and fidgety, sleeping fitfully in between multiple trips to the bathroom thanks to all the ginger ale he was constantly sipping on to keep his stomach calm, but other than a constant humming of Metallica when he was awake and being much more clingy with Cas than he usually was, he was doing alright.

At the beginning of the tenth hour, though, things got bad.

Castiel had completely forgotten to mention that he had checked the weather forecast earlier on Dean's phone and seen that the seas around Honolulu were experiencing a few minor tropical storms at the moment. That wasn't an issue for him at all, seeing as he'd spent most of his life up close and personal with things in the sky that were much more dangerous than lightning and rain. So in his mind, there was nothing to worry about as the sky outside grew dark and dense, lightning flashing and thunder rumbling as rain and ice plinked and splashed against the windows. They would just pass through the storm, bump around a little, and land. No big deal.

But when the "Fasten Seatbelt" light flashed on and the plane suddenly started to shake a little, the once-angel immediately realized his mistake.

In an instant, Dean went ramrod still in the seat beside him, sitting as rigidly as a statue while his eyes grew so wide it actually looked painful. He started breathing faster and shallower by the second, one hand gripping the armrest with white knuckles while he dug the fingernails of his other hand painfully hard into Castiel's thigh. The plane dipped a little, a few passengers startling awake and gasping in surprise, and all the color drained from Dean's face.

"Cas?" he squeaked, turning terrified eyes toward the blue-eyed man. "What's happening?" The plane shuddered and jolted again and Dean gasped, closing his eyes and almost panting now. "Oh God oh God oh God oh God…"

"Dean, it's only a–"

Cas had been about to say "only a little turbulence" when the plane suddenly shuddered and stalled, beginning to fall straight down through the air with the sickening feeling of careening down a rollercoaster track as it hit an air pocket and dropped. Several passengers screamed, even the most seasoned fliers not being used to things like this happening every day. The feeling was a little unpleasant even for the ex-angel, who had never loved free-falling even when he'd had his own wings. For Dean, it was downright heart-stopping.

Only a moment after they'd begun to fall, Cas felt Dean wrap his arms around him, pressing his face into the older man's chest and whimpering as helplessly as a child while he sought comfort in the only way he had left. Castiel just hugged him back, waiting until the descent abruptly stopped and the plane leveled out again, just as he had known it would. Once it had, he pulled Dean in closer, stroking his hair and trying to calm him down as much as he could, thanking his Father in Heaven that they only had half an hour of this left.

"Ca… Cas…" Dean gulped out between heaving breaths, eyes wet as the sheer terror his fear of flying stirred up in him threatened to reduce him to tears.

"Shh… It's alright now, _In Monons_," he whispered softly, laying his chin on Dean's head and pulling him as close into his chest as he could while they still had their seatbelts on. It felt a bit strange to be the one protecting Dean again – he had been the one needing guidance and protection ever since he'd lost his grace, seeing as he was the less experienced of the two at being human – but he slipped back into that old role easily. "It's over now. We've passed through most of the storm. It may still be a little bumpy, but the worst is over, I promise. Just breathe, you're alright."

It took a few minutes, but Dean's breathing finally did start to even out again, though he stayed firmly attached to Cas's chest even when the seatbelt sign had turned off again. He remained stuck on the ex-angel's side like a barnacle even after they'd landed, and Castiel accepted the new human-sized limb he seemed to have grown with only a small sigh.

* * *

It turned out to be lucky they'd planned ahead and called a taxi to take them to their cabin on the beach, because after his near heart-attack on the plane Dean was in no shape to drive with any sense of direction and Castiel was a horrible navigator. The drive there was short, and when they pulled up into the drive at two o'clock (seven p.m. back at the bunker) even Dean smiled at the sight.

The little house was painted a light brown with white trim around the doors and windows. It was set on a raised foundation, and there was a tiny porch with two wicker chairs and a small table sitting on it outside the front window. The green tin roof was gently sloped, creating a nice overhang to protect against the sun and rain while still giving a breathtaking view of the beach just feet away from the driveway, and there were small palm trees and hibiscus bushes lining the front of the cottage with vibrant splashes of color. It was exactly the kind of view they had been hoping for when they'd decided to rent this out-of-the-way place. And even better, there were no docks or other cabins around for miles, meaning they had a fairly large strip of beach all to themselves.

They quickly tipped the driver and made their way up the front steps, each carrying a duffel bag and Cas an additional backpack, and stepped inside to explore their new home for the week. It was very clean and airy inside, with more wicker furniture and lots of beach-themed artwork, especially pictures of the ocean and sailboats. There was a small kitchen attached to the living room, a surprisingly large bathroom with a deep tub and a shower, and a good-sized bedroom with a California king-sized bed and a sliding glass door at the foot of the bed that could be opened up to walk straight out to the beach or curtained off for privacy. It was very simple, but beautiful nonetheless.

"Well, Cas, what do you think?" Dean asked tentatively, noticeably calmer now that he'd had his feet back on solid ground for a while as he waited for the other man's reaction.

"It's wonderful, Dean. I love it already," he answered with a small yawn, now eyeing the enormous, fluffy bed eagerly. Seeing as they'd been up for sixteen hours already today, it was more than tempting. Dean smiled and hugged him from behind, arms wrapped lazily around the dark-haired man's waist as he kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm glad. Sorry I acted like such a baby earlier."

Castiel shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. Fear isn't something you can control."

"I know, but still…" He stopped mid-sentence, surprised as a yawn caught him off guard. "Hey, uh, what do you say we just hang out here and rest today? I hate to say it, but I could really use a nap before dinner. Lunch? Whatever the hell time it is now. And then we can explore a little tomorrow."

Cas just smiled, flopping face-first onto the pillow nearest to the window with Dean joining him only seconds later.

"I'd love that."


	2. Day 2 - The Beach

**Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of Eric Kripke. Sadly, I do not own any of these guys.**

**A/N: Sorry it's taking so long between updates, guys! I've had some horrible writer's block (or rather, a lot of writer's-self-doubt) lately, which is making it hard for me to get these things up to par very quickly.**

**Also, just so you know, I've decided to keep writing prompt fills and one-shots while I'm working on this one, just so I don't burn myself out with it. So if you see me publishing other things when this isn't finished yet, no worries! Your regularly-scheduled Destiel will not be cancelled. ;)**

* * *

When Castiel awoke the next morning, the sun had already risen high in the sky. A beam of light peeked between the closed curtains at the foot of the bed, drawing a line through the middle of the mattress, and the ex-angel yawned and stretched, licking his dry lips and turning over to embrace the hunter beside him. But surprisingly, his hands encountered only empty space when he reached to wrap them around Dean.

Sitting up now, eyes fully open, Cas scanned the room for his hunter, wondering where he had disappeared to.

It was very unusual for Dean to leave the bed before Castiel these days. Even though he almost always woke up first, he stayed right by the other man's side, holding him close and guarding him from nightmares until he chose to wake up too. Granted, it wasn't a rule written in stone, and there were times Castiel woke to find Dean somewhere else, like the bathroom adjoining their room in the bunker or talking to Sam or Kevin out in the hall. But still, it was strange when one considered that there was no one else here but the two of them.

Puzzled, he hurriedly clambered out of bed, shuddering when his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor, and searched his suitcase for his robe. If Dean was outside somewhere, he wasn't about to go searching for him in only his boxers.

Just as he was tying the belt around his waist, he stopped and sniffed the air, his nose detecting a wonderful scent drifting in through the door from the living room. It smelled sweet and warm, like flour and fruit, and it made his stomach growl fiercely even though he hadn't thought he was hungry until just now. Curious, he opened the door and peered out, smiling at the sight that greeted him.

"There you are, Cas!" Dean said cheerfully from behind the granite counter, flipping a large pancake into the air before catching it again in the frying pan he was holding. "I thought you were never gonna wake up."

He gestured to a few plates around him, piled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes, and the freshly sliced pineapple sitting in a large bowl beside them. Apparently he'd had time to go to the grocery store while Castiel had been sleeping too, because the ex-angel didn't remember seeing any of these things in the refrigerator the day before. "You hungry?"

Castiel just nodded and smiled, padding over on bare feet and kissing Dean on the cheek, waiting as he plated the last pancake before helping him carry the dishes to the breakfast table.

Despite what he might otherwise claim, Dean had become quite domestic since moving into the bunker, and he now seemed to enjoy buying and cooking his own food much more than eating out. Castiel wasn't about to complain, though; Dean's food was delicious, and he was constantly experimenting with new recipes that he wanted Cas to try. Today's experiment appeared to be pineapple pancakes, with tiny chunks of the fruit mixed into the batter as well as decorating the tops of the fluffy discs.

Once they'd sat down and filled their plates, both dug in hungrily, not bothering with conversation at first in favor of enjoying the wonderful flavors of the food. Castiel closed his eyes and moaned softly at the first tart-sweet bite of pancake, and Dean chuckled, stabbing a chunk of butter with a knife so he could spread it over his own pancakes.

"So I take it they're good?" he asked through a mouthful of bacon.

"Wonderful." Cas sighed with pleasure and took another enormous bite, having to make quite an effort to fit it all into his mouth without making a mess of his face.

"Jeez, easy," Dean laughed as he watched. "There're plenty more, Cas. Don't choke."

"Mmm wwmm't," Cas mumbled, taking a little longer than normal to chew and swallow so Dean wouldn't worry. "They're just so delicious."

Dean grinned and leaned forward, peering at the ex-angel's lips. "You've got a little something on your face."

"I do? Where?"

The hunter just leaned in closer, until he was almost nose-to-nose with the other man, and then flicked his tongue out and licked a tiny bead of syrup off the corner of his mouth. "Right here." He smiled and pressed his lips against Castiel's, letting him taste the sweetness of the syrup as well, and Cas felt him smiling as he did so.

"So what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" Cas asked after they had both pulled apart for air (and more pancakes).

"Well, I picked up some stuff for us to go to the beach, since you said yesterday that you wanted to go check it out. You still think you wanna do that?"

Castiel's eyes lit up with excitement just like a child's, and suddenly the food on his plate wasn't as interesting anymore. That was understandable though, because beach! Hawaii! Bright sun and white sand! With _Dean!_ He was up and out of his chair in an instant, heading to the bathroom to get changed into the bathing suit – blue and covered in angel wings, of course – that Dean had bought for him a month before.

The hunter chuckled and started picking up their dishes, glad to have gotten the reaction out of Cas that he'd been hoping for. If the usually stoic Castiel's excitement was anything to go by, he had a feeling this was going to be a lot of fun. Grinning to himself, he went off in search of his own swim trunks, hoping he could get them on before Cas dragged him outside by force.

* * *

The sun was blistering hot and the sand even hotter as the two of them walked down the path from their room to the shore, but Castiel didn't seem to notice. Dean trailed behind the ex-angel and watched with a contented smile on his face as Cas stared in wonder at all the flowers and palm trees decorating the path, the tiny crabs and shells lying in the sand. He stopped every so often to point something out to Dean, beaming in a way the hunter had rarely gotten to see from him, and it made his heart swell with happiness. If being out here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but sea and sun and all his Father's creatures, was what made Cas truly happy, Dean would be more than willing to just stay here and never leave.

The two men reached the edge of the water in only a few minutes, and Cas closed his eyes and tilted his head back, reveling in the sensations of the warm sun on his face, the salty breeze tossing his hair, and the cool water misting his body as the waves crashed against the ground in front of him. These were things he had always known about, but never truly experienced when he had been an angel. When one could travel faster than the speed of light the way an angel could, it tended to make them forget to stop and enjoy the view.

Suddenly, before he even had time to react, Cas felt Dean scooping him up from behind, carrying him in his arms like a baby as he jogged toward a rocky ledge at the edge of the water.

"Dean? What are you doing?" he cried, struggling weakly as his instincts screamed at him to get away from the water. "Put me down!"

Dean just laughed and held on tighter, not permitting Castiel to succeed in climbing onto his head the way Bells did on bath day, and made his way to the edge of the rock, arms tensing as he adjusted his grip on the other man.

"You ready to take a dip, Cas?" he asked with a grin, and Castiel started wriggling harder. Briefly, Dean wondered why he was freaking out so much. It was only a little water. Not like he had any feathers to get soaked anymore. Giving a mental shrug, he hoisted Cas up, drawing back and preparing to pitch him in, just like he used to do to Sammy all the time when they were younger.

"Dean, nonono," Cas begged, voice getting higher and higher by the second as he fought to free himself from the hunter's hold. "Dean please don't do thiIIIIIIIIISSS!"

Too late. With a resounding splash, he hit the water, all the air in his lungs rushing out in a cloud of bubbles as he landed on his back and flipped over and over under the waves. He could see Dean above him, still laughing, not realizing how truly afraid he was and obviously just waiting for him to come back up.

And then he started to sink, never having learned to swim and not sure how to propel himself back toward the surface. His heartbeat roared in his ears, arms clawing through the water as if he could will it to solidify and hoist himself to the top, but it just wasn't working. He was dropping down through the blue water like a stone, no matter how hard he tried to fight it.

Finally, lungs burning mercilessly and completely exhausted without the much-needed oxygen, he let his body go slack, praying that his Father would at least let him die quickly if this was how he was going to meet his end, and took a breath inside the liquid prison. His body immediately rejected the sensation of inhaling underwater, making him cough and gag in an attempt to rid his lungs of the offending liquid but only drawing in more, and he finally felt his vision growing blessedly dark.

Barely a second later a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and then Dean was right behind him, holding him tight and pulling both of them toward the air and sun that only seconds ago Castiel had been sure he would never see again.

After a few seconds that seemed to last hours, they broke out from beneath the waves, allowing him to finally,_ finally_ take a large, gulping breath of air. He immediately broke into a fit of coughing, spitting up the water he had swallowed while Dean clutched him tight and patted his back, trying to help him catch his breath while he pulled them both across the short distance to the shore and out onto the sand.

"Oh my God, Cas, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said frantically once he'd gotten them both out of the water. He hugged Castiel to him, kissing the crown of his head and rubbing his back as he continued to cough weakly. "I had no idea you couldn't swim, or I never would've – oh God, I'm sorry!"

Castiel took a deep breath and shook his head, trying to get that annoying buzzing in his ears to stop and relieved when he didn't immediately start coughing again, and took Dean's face between both of his hands.

"It's alright, _In Monons_," he rasped, smiling tiredly when he saw how shiny and wet Dean's eyes looked. "Like you said, you didn't know. And besides, you saved me. I'm alright now, it's alright."

Dean just gave a half-hysterical laugh and kissed him again, and Cas let him, melting into the embrace with a sigh as his heart finally started to slow back down to a normal rate.

"So I hope I haven't completely ruined your opinion of the beach," Dean muttered guiltily once the two of them had finally stood up and started making their way back toward the towels they had laid out in the sand.

"No, not at all," Cas answered with a tiny smile. "But… Maybe we could just stay here on the sand for the rest of the afternoon… completely out of the water?"

Dean chuckled and lay down on his towel, leaning against Cas and listening to his reassuringly strong heartbeat as he wrapped his arm around Dean's back and held him close to his chest.

"Sounds like a plan to me."


	3. Day 3 - Fishing

**Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of Eric Kripke. Sadly, I do not own any of these guys.**

* * *

"This is a very strange sensation, Dean." Castiel unconsciously tipped his head to one side as their small rental boat bobbed over yet another wave, holding tightly to the metal rail that lined the side. "I feel like I'm airborne even though I'm standing up." Another wave crashed against the side of the vessel and Castiel gasped quietly, nearly falling forward and having to step back until he was almost leaning against Dean to regain his balance.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," Dean said calmly. He patted Castiel's shoulder with one hand and steered the boat with the other, effortlessly taking them farther and farther from the docks and watching the water grow a deeper azure blue with every passing second. It reminded him a lot of Cas's eye color, actually. "Just relax and enjoy the sights. It'll be a while before we get to the spot the guide told us about."

Castiel nodded and sat down on one of the worn leather bench seats, one leg tucked under him so he could comfortably look out over the water while the other sat flat-footed on the floor to help him feel balanced. He seemed to be looking forward to this fishing trip as much as Dean was, which made the hunter happy. He hadn't been sure how the ex-angel would feel about catching his Father's sea-dwelling creatures for sport, but Cas had said that as long as they didn't kill or keep what they didn't plan to eat, he saw no issue with it.

Dean smiled as the ex-angel's already perpetually messy hair blew straight back in the wind, giving him a bizarre combed-over look that likely wouldn't change until the next time he showered. He also had red, slightly sunburned skin over most of his body – as did Dean, thanks to Cas's near-drowning the day before making them forget their sunscreen.

The hunter was red as a lobster from head to toe; unfortunately, even years of hunting couldn't erase the sun-sensitivity of a light complexion. Cas was just a light peach color, with a stark white handprint on his left shoulder where Dean had fallen asleep holding him. To say Dean was jealous was a major understatement. His skin hurt like hell today – and he'd been there, so he would know – and Castiel was just a little pink? Not. Fair.

The brunet in question had spent the first part of the morning poking at the strange redness on his skin, having noticed it when he went to shower after waking. He only stopped prodding at it when he hit a particularly painful red spot on his chest, asking Dean what they had done to make the sun so angry with them. The hunter had just laughed and continued packing for their outing, making sure he and Cas both put on sunscreen before they left so they wouldn't "anger the sun" again.

Dean was startled out of his reverie when a hand suddenly tapped his shoulder, and he spun around to see Castiel standing just behind him, smiling slightly as if he knew something Dean didn't.

"What?" Dean asked, grinning himself at whatever had the angel so amused.

Castiel just leaned forward and grabbed his lover's right hand, placing it over the white handprint on his left shoulder while he placed his own hand on Dean's. Then, with a small kiss to the hunter's fingers, he chuckled and said, "Now we match."

Dean smiled and wound their fingers together, and they stayed that way until the hunter determined they had gotten close enough to the place that the man who had rented them this boat told them the best fishing could be found. He let the boat slow and then shut the engine off, releasing Cas's hand so he could get the anchor lowered into the water. The last thing they needed was to drift off and get lost in an already unfamiliar area. As it was, Dean could still see land from where they sat, but only just.

Once the boat was as secure as it could be, Dean opened up the tackle box while Cas fetched their fishing rods. They had been told there were plenty of edible fish to be found in this location, as long as one had a sturdy rod and some good bait. So Dean had picked up two rods capable of holding a hundred pounds of weight each, as well as some bait made from the offal of old fish. Hopefully that would be enough to score them some fresh seafood for dinner.

"You ready, Cas?" he asked, and the ex-angel nodded, holding the bucket of chum at the ready. When Dean nodded his approval, Cas tipped a little bit of the fish bits into the water on both the port and starboard side of the boat. Then the two of them sat down back-to-back, watching the bits of bait sink down into the water and waiting for a bite while their lures bobbed lazily up and down.

There was no telling how long they sat there in silence, enjoying the feel of the sun and the salty spray on their faces, the gentle breeze that dulled the heat as it blew over them and carried the offensive scent of old fish far away. There had been a couple of tugs on the lines so far, but nothing hard enough to reel in. Whatever was out there must have eaten a late breakfast, because nothing seemed too interested in lunch at the moment. Neither of them was in a hurry; it had been a long time since they'd had time to sit and simply enjoy nature like this, except perhaps in Dean's dreams so many years ago.

After another few minutes passed, though, Castiel suddenly sat up straight in his seat, looking excitedly out at the bobber that had just been pulled sharply beneath the water.

"Dean! I think I have something," he said happily, already starting to reel it in while Dean set his rod down and came over to join him.

"Awesome! You got this, Cas," Dean encouraged when something started splashing close to the surface. "Just a little more!"

Castiel nodded and continued to reel the fish in, then tugged up sharply, lifting it out of the water and onto the boat in one swift motion. When Dean realized what it was, he smiled and picked it up, taking the hook out of its mouth and holding the wriggling thing, which was bigger than his head, out for Cas to see.

"Well, looks like you caught us dinner," Dean said happily.

"This is edible?" Cas had no idea what made one fish any more edible than another, but apparently Dean did.

"Yeah. This is a Red Snapper," he said, which Cas concluded must be because of its ruby-red color. "It's actually really expensive to buy from a fish market, but there's tons of meat on it and it tastes awesome. We can grill this up when we get back to shore. Great job, man."

Cas beamed at the praise, and was about to comment on how beautiful the red fish was when he realized Dean's rod was being pulled toward the edge of the boat.

"Ah! Dean!" he said, hurriedly reaching out and grabbing the pole. He noticed immediately that this fish was a lot stronger than the last one, so much so that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep a grip on it. He grunted and pulled back, trying to keep his balance, and sighed in relief when Dean joined him and started helping him reel the animal in.

It took several minutes of straining and sweat, since this fish was obviously a fighter, but finally the two of them managed to yank it out of the water. It landed with a wet flop in the middle of the deck, and Dean just stared at it for a moment, eyes growing wider all the time, and then jerked back as if he'd been stung, pulling on the line so that the creature hung a few feet in the air by its lip.

"Holy shit, Cas!" he shouted, staring at the long gray fish with short angular fins, beady eyes, and sharp teeth. "That's a damn shark!"

It wasn't a large shark by any means – only about two or three feet from nose to tail – but still, it was more than a little unnerving to realize that if they were able to catch one shark this easily out here, there were probably lots more of them in bigger sizes farther down.

Dean swallowed and shuddered, staring at the little gray shark as it flopped helplessly on the end of the line. There went his plans to go swimming out here today. It was strange, really, when he thought about how freaked out he was by a fish. He hunted the supernatural every day, and yet something that could be cooked on a grill was frightening to him? Some things just didn't make sense.

Castiel, noticing how Dean seemed to have no interest in touching the shark, took pity on the poor creature, carefully stepping forward and grabbing around the middle of its body so he could steer far clear of its sharp rows of teeth. Then with a small smile, he removed the hook from the side of its lip and whispered, "Forgive me, my friend. We didn't mean to disturb your meal," before tossing the shark back over the edge of the boat. It landed with a loud splash and quickly disappeared, likely getting as far away from the two humans as it possibly could.

Cas was just about to turn around and go sit beside Dean, who was busy re-stringing the line onto the fishing pole after the shark strained it, when he suddenly felt his foot hit a slick spot and fly out from under him. Before he could even make a sound of surprise, he was falling backwards over the side, landing in the water with a splash that put the shark's to shame. Thanks to his lifejacket though, he didn't sink, and he came back to the surface with an indignant splutter as he shook the cold water out of his hair.

Above him, Dean was cracking up, having gotten over the initial panic of seeing Castiel fall overboard once he realized he was safe. The hunter held his sides, tears streaming from his eyes, and cackled as he peered down at the drenched man glaring up at him from the water below.

"You know Cas, if you wanted some water you could have just raided the cooler," he said with a grin. "Or did you decide you want to play with that baby shark some more?"

Castiel just glared and spat a mouthful of water at Dean like an archerfish, missing his face by several inches and hitting the side of the boat instead. Dean was laughing so hard now that he'd actually had to sit down or else fall over; sometimes his angel was adorable, especially when he looked like a pissed-off wet cat.

"Dean, could you just help me up please?" Cas asked tiredly, shaking some more water from his hair and giving the hunter his best puppy eyes. He really wasn't a fan of the water after what had happened yesterday, and lifejacket or not he was ready to be back on solid ground.

"Yeah, hahah, I-I'll – ahahahaaa!"

Castiel sighed, resigned to the fact that Dean was going to be useless until he got control of his giggles, and decided to sit there and wait patiently.

At least until he felt a long fin brush against the side of his leg.

A shudder quickly worked up from his head to his toes as he saw a large gray shape swimming in circles around him, the triangular dorsal fin sitting just barely beneath the surface as the creature looped around and around him. His heart jumped somewhere up into the vicinity of his throat, images of that "Jaws" movie Dean had made him watch reminding him of exactly what sort of creatures lurked in waters this deep and dark.

"Dean," he hissed, starting to tremble as the creature's fin brushed his leg again. "Dean, _please!_"

His tone finally seemed to get the hunter's attention, and Dean peered out over the side to see what had Cas so afraid. When he did, his eyes grew as big as dinner plates, and he held out a hand as far as he could.

"Okay Cas, stay calm," he whispered, his own voice betraying the complete lack of calm he felt. "Slowly make your way over here, and I'll pull you out. Just don't thrash around."

"Dean, I can't swim. All I know how to do is thrash around!"

"Okay, it's okay. Just come on."

Castiel swallowed and tried to paddle over to Dean as gracefully as he could – which wasn't gracefully at all – hoping whatever kind of shark was swimming around him now would realize he wasn't snack-sized before it tried to take a bite of him. It seemed to take an eternity, but finally he made it over to Dean, heart hammering in his chest, and felt the hunter grab his hand and haul him out of the water as if he weighed nothing.

He grabbed onto Dean and took a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself and succeeding for the most part. Once he'd managed to get his breathing back to normal, he peered over the side at the creature that had come close enough to brush against him.

To both of their surprise, it suddenly leapt out of the water, squealing happily and flipping end over end before splashing back under the surface. It wasn't a shark at all; it was a dolphin! Castiel watched in amazement as the joyful-looking creature jumped and twirled in and out of the water, seeming to almost laugh at him for ever being so afraid. And he was laughing too, because never in a million years had he imagined he would find himself in the middle of the ocean playing with a dolphin.

"I think I'm glad I fell overboard now," he muttered, leaning against Dean as the hunter continued to watch the little dolphin in awe.

"Honestly," Dean said, turning around and kissing the crown of Castiel's head. "So am I."

The two of them started heading back to shore almost immediately after the dolphin disappeared beneath the surface again. Once they docked, it wasn't long before Dean was in the small kitchen of their beach house, cooking the fish to perfection with the bones and skin still intact before getting it cleaned up and ready to eat. The white flesh was delicious, better than any freshwater fish Cas had ever eaten, and there was more than enough to save for dinner tomorrow.

By the time the moon had risen high in the sky, both the hunter and the ex-angel were sound asleep in bed, bellies stuffed painfully full of delicious fish and dreaming about riding on the backs of dolphins through the deep Hawaiian seas. It was the most peaceful sleep either of them had had in a long time.


	4. Day 3 and a Half - Phonecall

**Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the property of Eric Kripke. Sadly, I do not own any of these guys.**

**A/N: So for some reason, this plotbunny demanded I add just a little bit of Sabriel to this story. Can't have the Winchesters without both brothers, after all! Oh, and there's some sick!Sam too. Because I felt like it. ;)**

**Anyway, because of this little bonus chapter, the story will now be eight chapters instead of seven. So no worries, you'll still get all seven days of Hawaiian vacationing Destiel.**

* * *

It didn't feel like Dean had been asleep very long at all when he was awakened by the startlingly loud buzzing of his phone from the nightstand. And that sucked, because this bed was extremely comfortable. The mattress was so soft it was like lying on a cloud, and the room was cool enough that it was comfortable to pull Castiel's warm body flush against his side underneath all of the blankets, but not too cold to get back out from under them in the morning. It was almost as nice as his memory foam mattress back at the bunker. Almost.

Resigned to the fact that he was now awake whether he liked it or not, he flopped over onto his back so he could see the general area where he last remembered leaving his phone. The change in position caused Castiel to roll out of his grip and toward the other side of the bed, but he remained totally oblivious, just snuffling deep into the other pillow and snoring softly as he continued dreaming about dolphins protecting him from rampaging sharks.

Dean sat up and blinked blearily, eyes still not completely adjusted to the darkness, and then snatched up the accursed thing from the table, almost dropping it on the floor before he could get a good look at the screen: one missed call from Sam. He peered over his shoulder at the clock on Castiel's side of the bed, noticing it was only one a.m. Hawaii time – seven in the morning in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

"What the hell? Why's he callin' this early?"

"Dean? Is something wrong?" Cas mumbled with his back to the hunter, obviously still half asleep since his eyes weren't even open.

"Dunno. I'll find out. Go back to sleep."

"Mmmhmm."

Dean hurriedly stepped out of the room and closed the door right as the phone started buzzing a second time, hitting the green "Accept Call" button before it could stop again.

"Sammy? Whas'a'matter?" he mumbled into the mouthpiece – or at least where he hoped the mouthpiece was; who the hell knew for sure at this hour?

"_Sam can't come to the phone right now,_" Gabriel answered instead.

"Gabriel? What's wrong?" Dean asked, instantly awake now that his big brother senses were putting out a red alert. "Why can't Sam talk to me?" He'd honestly been planning to call the two of them later that day anyway, just to see how their trip was going. But if Gabriel was calling when both he and Sam were well aware that they were six hours ahead of Honolulu, something had to be seriously wrong.

"_Actually, that's kinda what I was calling about. Sam's, uh, kinda busy with a little –_"

"_Guuuh-Ehaaack! Huhhh-urk!_ _Mnnhh…_ _Urgh, God_…"

Dean heard Gabriel chuckle on the other end. "_Morning sickness_."

"_Screw… you… Gabe_," Sam snarled from what must have been the bathroom.

"_What?_" Gabriel asked, his response clearly meant for Sam. "_It's morning, and you're sick. What part of that is inaccurate?_"

"A-HEM!" Dean said loudly when it was clear Sam was once again too busy retching to come up with a good response. "You mind telling me _why_ my brother's puking like a pregnant chick? Isn't the idea to, you know, _not_ let him catch something when you're on vacation?"

"_Yeah, funny story…_"

"Do tell."

"_Right, so, Sam and I bought this huge five-pound chocolate bar yesterday…_"

"Uh-huh," Dean said, waiting for the part where this got bad.

"_And I challenged him to see which of us could eat the biggest part of it in one go. We both started at opposite ends, and whoever ate past the middle of the bar first won. The crazy thing is, Sam actually did it! He can eat chocolate even faster than a Trickster! Can you believe it? But now he's paying for it pretty good, as you can hear._"

"Aww, Sammy…" Dean muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "Can't hold your liquor or your chocolate, huh?" He sighed, taking pity on his little brother who, from years of experience, Dean knew would be sick like this for the rest of the day. For being a giant of a man, Sam's body was a lot more delicate on the inside than it would seem.

"_I called 'cause I don't know what to do here, Deano,_" Gabriel said softly when Sam gagged and moaned pitifully in the background. "_He's really not feeling good, but I can't heal this with my grace since it isn't caused by a virus. I've tried having him drink water, that Pepto stuff – I even went out and bought some Dramamine. Everything I've tried giving him just comes back up five minutes later._"

"Ginger ale," Dean immediately answered. "That's all that helps when he's nauseous. Let him sip on that once he stops hurling for a minute and just let it run its course. Any other drinks or meds will only make it worse. Once he manages to keep that down for at least an hour make him eat a few saltines. He should be back to normal by tomorrow, once all the junk works out of his system."

"_Wow,_" Gabriel said slowly. "_Sounds like you've been through this a time or two._"

"We've lived in the same room with each other for most of the last three decades, Gabe."

"_Ah. Right._"

"Yeah. So just do what I told you, and he should be fine. Make sure to hold his hair or tie it back or something too, if you haven't already. Trust me, once he gets too tired to do it himself anymore, you won't wanna see what happens."

"_Gotcha._" Gabriel's relieved smile could be heard even through the phone. "_Thanks, Dean._"

"Any time. Let me know if it keeps getting worse, otherwise I'll call in a few hours to check in. And Gabe?"

"_Yeah?_"

"Don't feed the oversized puppy dog any more chocolate for a couple of days, okay? I think he's had enough."

"_Agreed._"

The phone beeped to show the call had ended, and Dean sighed wearily before opening the door and making his way back into bed. Castiel stirred when he wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling into the hunter's neck with a tiny snuffling sound that was way too adorable for someone who used to be a mighty demon-smiting Angel of the Lord. He was almost asleep again when Castiel's gravelly voice woke him again.

"Was that Sam?"

"Nuh-uh, was Gabe," Dean mumbled, somewhere between the realms of reality and ocean dreams. "Sam's feelin' bad… mornin' sickness… Asked me f'r help…"

Castiel tilted his head, blinking slowly as he tried to make sense of that particular statement. New to humanity or not, he was fairly certain that that particular ailment was _not_ supposed to plague human males. Ever. No matter how many times he ran it through his head, though, all he could seem to come up with was "DOES NOT COMPUTE."

"Dean? Could you say that again? I think I misunderstood."

But when the hunter failed to answer for several seconds, Cas realized he had already gone back to sleep, phone still clenched in his fist as if he expected to get another SOS call any second. Smiling down at his lover, Castiel pried the phone from his grip and laid it gently on the nightstand, kissing the crown of Dean's head before settling back under the covers himself.

"Never mind. I'll ask in the morning."


End file.
